Epson Powerlite Pro G5350NL Wired Networking 3LCD Projector Review

March 31, 2009 - Art Feierman

EasyMP

Short for Epson Administrative System for Meeting and Presentation, EasyMP allows for flexibility in presentations with such features as follows:

SlideMaker 2 (which allows you to combine PowerPoint, image and movie files into a single presentation, by extracting the necessary parts of files, and arranging them in order without editing the original files)

Multi-Screen Display (which allows connection to multiple projectors for a wide spreadsheet or flowchart). This mode also allows for the display of a PowerPoint slide, while the presenter’s monitor is also displaying the PowerPoint tools.

Distribution Function (which allows for display from a remote computer on the network)

Switching Function (which allows for other computers on the network to take turns projecting their own images)

Email Notification – When using the networking ability of the 1735W, either wired or wireless, it can be set to notify the owner of the projector status, reminders or any problems via email.

PCFree – This feature enables you to display photos, videos, PowerPoint presentations and other files stored on a USB storage device or SD card, without the use of a PC. Presentations created with SlideMaker (above), can also be used with PCFree.

Closed Caption Capabilities

Not many projectors are equipped to do closed captions. While not a widely needed feature, there are applications, such as organizations that work with or employ hearing impaired individuals. In any event, if you need closed captioning, the G5350 has it.

Interchangeable Lenses

For the ultimate customizability of installation, the G5350NL (the NL stands for “No Lens”) does not come with a lens. Epson offers a choice of five bayonet-style lenses to choose from, depending on your installation needs. The standard lens (which was used for this review) has a throw ratio that ranges from 1.3 to 2.4 (this means the projector can be placed at a distance from the screen that equals 1.3 to 2.4 times the screen width). By contrast, the long throw zoom lens has a throw ratio ranging from 5.3 to 7.2. There are two middle throw lenses whose throw ratios fit in between the standard and long throw lens at 2.4 to 3.6 and 3.5 to 5.4. What does this all mean? It means that by choosing the appropriate lens, the projector can display a 100” wide (125” diagonal) image at distances ranging from as little as 10’-10” (130”) or a far as 60’ (720”), though the recommended maximum distance is 47.8’.

There is also a wide lens (fixed at F number 2.03) available for rear projection applications. List prices on these lenses are $1399 for the standard lens and $1899 for the other lenses.

Quick Corner Keystone Correction

In addition to the usual horizontal and vertical keystone correction, the G5350 also features an option to adjust each corner of the projected image called Quick Corner. This can come in handy if the projector is tilted up (as much as 30 degrees) or placed at an angle. As with any digital manipulation of the image, the sharpness and precision of the image will suffer with the use of quick corner, but it can be useful for making minor corrections, especially in non-permanent installations. However, this feature should be of less importance for permanent installations. If the projector is to be mounted, it’s better to get it placed properly to provide a square image without the use of keystoning or Quick Corner.